Consequences Be Damned
by laney1974
Summary: Whatever it is hits him before he even has a chance to react and then just as quickly it's over.  He doesn't know what it is, all he knows is that its grip was so tight his bones snapped like twigs from the pressure.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Twilight characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. The Stargate people belong to Gekko Productions, Double Secret Productions, MGM/UA, Showtime/Viacom.

**Timeline/Spoilers: **AU from Eclipse. It completely ignores Breaking Dawn. For Stargate: AU from Fragile Balance Season 7. The events in this fic occurs only a few months after Jack is cloned.

**Authors Notes: ** This fic is not meant to be taken as a criticism of Twilight (I like Twilight), but is more what I view as a realistic look at the consequences to Bella's choice to become a vampire. I dislike that everything went so well for her in the books and feel that realistically her life would be far from perfect. I suspect that not everyone will be happy with this interpretation and have been advised that this fic will probably be received better by non-Twilight fans than Twilight fans, so be warned.

**Authors Notes II:** Thank you to Orange Thunder and Demona for looking over this fic for me and words of encouragement. All quotes for this fic were found via Think Exist dot com.

**Please Note: This fic alternates between Clone!Jack's POV (which is in Italics) and Bella's POV (in regular font).**

**ooOOOoo**

**~Chapter One~**

"**There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." **

**Source: Unknown**

ooOOOoo

Being a vampire is better than anything Bella Swan – Bella _Cullen _ – could possibly imagine. It's been a little over a year since she chose to become a vampire and, truly, it's like a dream. She has everything she's wanted: the perfect husband, the perfect marriage and the perfect family.

There was a time, before her Change, when Bella wondered if maybe she was making a mistake, but her life has been nothing but perfect.

It's all she ever wanted and more.

ooOOOoo

_Whatever it is hits him before he even has a chance to react and then just as quickly it's over. He doesn't know what it is, all he knows is that its grip was so tight that his bones snapped like twigs from the pressure. _

_But it's not the pain in his arms that has him screaming._

ooOOOoo

Bella doesn't quite know how it happened. One minute she's running alongside Alice and Rosalie and the next they're pulling her off a teenager fishing at a lake near one of their hunting grounds in Canada. She doesn't remember making the conscious decision to feed off the human. She doesn't even remember catching his scent.

She's still in a daze when they pin her to the ground. She doesn't fight them to get back to her prey, the taste of his blood in her mouth is surprisingly unappealing; she just simply lies there, confused.

Her confusion is replaced with horror when, after a second, the boy begins screaming.

ooOOOoo

_The clone, formally known as Colonel Jack O'Neill, knows pain all too freaking well. All kinds of pain actually, both physical and psychological. Hell, he's been tortured to death over and over again, but the pain that's spreading through him is beyond anything Ba'al or any Goa'uld has done to him. It doesn't take long for him to realises that this is it, that this is the end. It's impossible for anything this painful to be anything else. A part of him is relieved, death is preferable to the pain, but another part of him is pissed beyond all reason that this is the way he goes out, that this is how he dies. In fact, he's pretty much pissed about everything: the pain, the fact that Loki of the Asgard decided to clone the real him and fuck up so spectacularly that instead of a fully grown clone he's a fifteen year old boy with fifty years worth of memories. He's pissed off because he's lost everything and everyone he's cared about._

_The only consolation is that he'll be dead soon. _

_He has to be._

ooOOOoo

Even though Bella's been through the Change herself, it's not the same as watching someone else endure it. It's worse. She carries the boy in her arms as they race towards their Alaskan home. He's screaming and writhing in agony, cursing someone named Loki on the top of his lungs. For the first time since she became a vampire she stumbles and falls. She's so focused on the boy in her arms that she doesn't pay attention to anything else. The only reason she knows Rose and Alice are with her is because they help her stand whenever she falls.

It takes them two hours to reach their home and the entire family is waiting there for her. Carlisle takes the boy from her arms while Edward pulls her into his. She doesn't fight his embrace, although a part of her wants to. She wants to follow Carlisle and Esme into the house, she doesn't want comfort.

"Bella..." The boy's screaming cuts off Edward's words.

She closes her eyes and leans her head against his chest. "It isn't supposed to be like this."

For the first time since she was Change she doesn't feel right. _Nothing_ feels right.

"Are you okay?"

No, she's not okay. She's not sure she ever will be.

This isn't how she imagined her eternal life with Edward. She gave up her human family and friends for a life with the man she knew she couldn't ever live without. She had known the consequences of her choice and she had readily accepted them.

Bella just never truly believed there would be any consequences to live with.

ooOOOoo

_Jack doesn't know why he's actually surprised this is happening to him, that he's in hell once again. By all rights his life should be boring. Mind numbingly, scream inducing, I'm-going-to-pull-all-the-hair-from-my-head boring. _

_He has enough presence of mind to know what's happening to him here isn't __**right**__. It hurts to think, but Jack pushes past the pain because he can't let himself give into it. Even though he's just a clone, and the memories that inhabit his mind aren't really his, Jack still feels as though he is Colonel Jack O'Neill, so just lying back and screaming is something he can't do. _

_So, difficult as it is, he forces his mind to try to work out who or what could be doing this to him. As far as he is aware, there are only a handful of people who are even aware of his existence and only one of those people knows what name he goes by now. He's pretty sure that O'Neill – the real O'Neill – wouldn't give him up, not unless he had no choice. _

_But then the real O'Neill didn't know he was spending his summer vacation in Canada. In fact, the real O'Neill has promised __**never**__ to contact his clone unless Jack contacted him first. _

_No one – alien or humans – knows who or what he is, so this shouldn't be happening. _

ooOOOoo

Bella blames herself. As far as she's concerned there's no one else to blame. Edward's trying to take responsibility, he's convinced that because he was the one who turned her into a vampire that it's his fault, but it's not. It's no one's fault but her own.

Bella never had any trouble adapting to this life. From the moment she opened her eyes it's been easy for her. She never had the issues of control like her siblings did when they were newborns. In fact, Bella's already stopped herself from killing a human once, on her first hunt, so she's not sure exactly how this happened or why.

It's because things have been so easy for her that she honestly didn't think there was much of a risk of her losing control. She thought that even if there was a risk she had her enhanced senses, and Alice's ability to see the future, to help her. She honestly thought that Alice would see if there were any humans on their hunting grounds, or that if there were humans nearby she would see if Bella would be able to resist them.

It kills Bella to know that she was wrong, to know that someone died because of it.

"This is a nightmare," she whispers as Edward slips his arms around her. She lets out a sob and her husband tightens his hold on her. She knows that had she been human he would have killed her. The thought causes her to close her eyes in pain. If she was human, this wouldn't be happening.

"I'm sorry," Edward whispers.

Bella wonders what he's apologising for. Was he sorry that this had happened? Was he sorry that Alice never saw a vision of the teenage boy? Was he sorry he changed her? For the first time in a long time, she doesn't want to know what he's thinking. So she doesn't say anything.

Instead, she stands and listens to a teenage boy screaming at the top of his lungs while his body changes from the inside out.

ooOOOoo

_The pain still hasn't stopped and he's pretty sure it's not going to. If anything, it's getting worse. Jack's come to the conclusion that he's never going to die an easy death. Seriously, first Ba'al and now this. _

_He really wants to know who he pissed off in a past life to deserve this one. _

ooOOOoo

His name is Jack Simpson and, according to the ID they found in his backpack, he's fifteen years old. After the summer break he would have been entering into his junior year at Lincoln Park High School. From the looks of the campsite they found Jack had been there a couple of days. They're not sure why he was fishing alone or why his parents weren't anywhere nearby.

Although, right now, that's the least of their worries.

ooOOOoo

_It's only when he stops screaming at the top of his lungs for a full minute that Jack realises he's not alone. The realisation makes him clamp his jaw shut to keep from screaming again. He's not stupid enough to try to open his eyes, because he knows that's not going to happen, but he does start to pay attention. It's hard, harder than simply thinking, but his survival instinct and memories of O'Neill's military training kick in. _

_From what he can work out there are at least six people here and at least one person stays with him at all times. There's a mixture of males and females and he's beginning to suspect they know exactly what's happening to him. In fact, Jack heard one of them saying that it would be over in three days._

_That piece of knowledge is almost enough to start him screaming again. He's not sure if he can last three days._

ooOOOoo

"We made it look he just disappeared," Emmett tells them. "We thought about making it look like an animal attack, but we weren't sure if anyone would buy it. We just cleaned up the site and made it looked like he disappeared. A storm hit as we were leaving so no one will be able to track us."

Bella closes her eyes and thinks about his parents.

"Alice, have you been able to see anything yet?" Carlisle asks.

More than anything Bella wishes she had a power like Alice's. She'd give anything to see the future right now. Not that it's a particularly useful gift when it comes to Jack. Alice hasn't been able to get a good read on the newest member of their family, not for the lack of trying.

Alice shakes her head, frustrated. "Not clearly. It's like watching a television that isn't tuned in properly. I think that's why I didn't see anyone on our hunting grounds."

"His thoughts are similar," Edward says as frustrated as his sister. "His mind is just constant static."

"Have you ever come across something like that before?" Bella asks.

"Aside from you, no," Edward replies. "I don't think he's a mental shield like you are. I can still hear him, I just can't make out his thoughts. It's almost as if he's on a different frequency than everyone else."

"Jasper, can you feel his emotions?" Carlisle asks.

"Yes, but not as clear I can others," Jasper replies, his eyes drifting to Bella. "It just takes a little extra work."

Bella freezes at his words. "How is he..." She doesn't finish the question because she knows exactly how and what he's feeling.

To her surprise, Jasper answers anyway. "He's feeling pain, mostly."

"Mostly?" Carlisle repeats.

"His emotions are surprisingly controlled considering the circumstances. Even though he's in pain, he's able to work through it. Right now he's mostly confused and pissed off."

Bella doesn't blame him... Wait! "He's not scared?"

Jasper shakes his head.

Bella wonders what that means.

ooOOOoo

_His body is changing, at least that's what the one named Carlisle says. How it's changing, Jack's not sure he understands, but it has something to do with Edward's wife Bella accidentally biting him. Carlisle seems to know that Jack can hear him and he's being nice enough to explain exactly to Jack what is going on. _

_Jack actually wants him to shut the hell up because what Carlisle is saying can't be right. _

_Unfortunately for Jack, Carlisle does not shut up, nor does someone named Esme. He has no choice but to listen to them explain to him that his body is changing from the inside out... That he's turning into a vampire. _

_Jack wonders at what stage he lost his mind._

ooOOOoo

There's no mention of a missing teenager on the news. They keep a close eye on the television, internet and the newspapers, looking for any sign of trouble, but so far there's nothing. It's a little concerning because it's been forty-eight hours since they found Jack and Bella thinks someone should be missing him by now. Edward and Emmett have made trips to the town closest to where Jack was fishing in the hopes that Edward will hear something in someone's mind. Fortunately (or unfortunately) no one seems to be missing him or even seems to know that he was out fishing on his own. While they were able to take Jack back to their home in Alaska after she bit him, they can't actually move him any significant distance while he's going through the change, so the more time before his disappearance is known the better.

They're preparing for the worst anyway, especially since Alice can't see Jack's future. While he screams they pack up the house so they can move at a moment's notice. Bella doesn't know where they're going and she doesn't dare to ask. Most of the family is understanding about her accident. Rosalie, however, is less than understanding. Carlisle and Edward have tried to keep her in check, but they haven't been successful.

Rosalie's not at all afraid to say _I told you so_.

ooOOOoo

_Jack's insanity continues for what seems like an eternity. The pain still hasn't stopped, although there are moments he thinks it's improving, and Carlisle hasn't stopped either. He, along with a female he suspects is Bella, spends the most time at his bedside. The female rarely says a word to him, or anyone for that matter, but unfortunately for Jack, Carlisle doesn't have that trouble. Carlisle spends a majority of his time telling Jack about vampires, and about the 'family' he's joining. _

_Apparently Carlisle is the eldest and the patriarch of the family. He Changed Edward to be his companion a couple of hundred years after he was Changed. After Edward the next to join the Coven was Esme, his mate. After Esme came Rosalie and then Emmett, both Changed by Carlisle. Alice and Jasper joined the family in the 1950's some time and Bella was Changed by Edward a little over a year ago. _

_Jack still believes he's gone insane._

_Actually, he __**hopes**__ he's gone insane because otherwise... well, he doesn't even want to contemplate it._

ooOOOoo

The three day changing process is a painful, agonising experience that no vampire, no matter how old, can ever forget. Bella sits by Jack's bedside watching the transformation for hours at a time. As far as she's concerned it's the very least she can do. She tries to keep him as cool as possible, hoping that maybe he'll get some sort of relief through the transformation. She doesn't ask Carlisle or Edward if they think it will help because she doesn't want the answer. Watching Jack become one of them is driving her insane and she _needs_ to do something.

As they edge closer to the three day mark, the rest of Cullens join her in her beside vigil. Edward doesn't want her to be here when Jack wakes up, but she refuses to leave. She knows that newborns are dangerous, but she needs to be here. She has to be here. Bella asked for this life, she fought for it. From the moment she fell in love with Edward this life is all she's wanted. She wanted to be his equal. It's only right that she faces her consequence. So she fights Edward tooth and nail to stay at Jack's bedside and she wins.

Although, it turns out her argument with Edward is a little premature because Jack doesn't wake at the end of the three day transformation period.

Three days turn into four and he's still Changing.

ooOOOoo

_He's beginning to question whether he really is insane when he realises he can hear people who are not just in this room, but in other rooms in the house. He can smell them, too, although that's not what is worrying him the most. No, the sound of his heart pounding at a speed that's just not right is beginning to concern him. _

_And when his heart stops beating altogether and he's still alive... Jack knows he's in deep, deep shit._

ooOOOoo

As luck has it, Jack wakes while she and Edward are hunting. Before her lapse in control Bella would have waited to hunt, now she hunts more. Daily. She never knows when she will run into another human.

When they get to the house, Carlisle, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and Emmett have gone hunting with Jack.

They're not all that's gone, however.

The door and part of the wall at the back of the house are missing. Inside the house two walls and pretty much all of the furniture in the living room have been destroyed. Esme is the only one left in the house and Bella's never seen her look so distressed.

"Esme, are you okay?" she asks, rushing to her side.

"I'm fine," she assures her. "Jack didn't hurt anything but the house."

"Jack?" she repeats.

"He's awake," Esme tells them.

"He has his memories," Edward says, reading his mother's mind.

It's not a question, but Esme nods anyway. "He has perfect recall. He hasn't lost any of his human memories."

Bella bites her lip. She's not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. "Is he okay?"

"He's confused and... angry," Esme says.

A sliver of fear coils in her stomach at the words.

"Jasper wasn't able to calm him when he found out what he was."

ooOOOoo

_When the pain stops and he opens his eyes he's so freaked out that he crashes through the wall of the room he finds himself in. While he had been aware of the 'people' in his room when he woke up, it doesn't stop him from attacking the man with the scars. Jack hadn't intended to attack, but his instincts just screamed at him that this man was a threat and, well, he attacked. Of course, Jack's so freaked out when he moves so fast, that he's actually no match for the man he later finds out is Jasper. Jack goes down for the count in less than a one-hundredth of a second._

_Jasper has him pinned to the floor while he explains what's happening, what Jack now is. It takes more than a minute for what Jasper's saying to sink in and for Jack to realise everything Carlisle had told him was true... that Jack isn't insane. For a long moment he's still in denial, but the burn in his throat convinces him, along with the fact that he's moving faster than a speeding bullet and is more powerful than a locomotive, that there is a good chance that this might actually be real. _

_It takes Jack a little bit longer to remember everything he's heard about the vampire myth (Daniel would be so proud). Most of the knowledge comes from movies he saw as a kid, some come from watching a few episodes of Buffy with Teal'c. In the end it doesn't take long for him to work out, and for Jasper to confirm, what exactly being a vampire means._

_No one is able to stop him from destroying everything in his path when he realises he'll be stuck as a fifteen year old forever._

ooOOOoo

They arrive home three days after Jack wakes. The house no longer looks like a disaster zone, but the atmosphere is tense. Bella watches as they emerge from the forest. Carlisle is in front, behind him are Rosalie, Jack and Jasper. Behind them are Emmett and Alice. All of them look a little worse for wear.

Bella ignores her family for the moment and she lets her eyes zero in on Jack. She never really saw him before she went after his blood, so it's almost like she's seeing him for the first time. He's beautiful, like all of them, but he also looks so young walking beside Jasper and Rose. His blonde-ish hair is caked with blood and fur and his face is smeared with mud and dirt. He almost looks like a kid after he's been dirt bike riding with his friends. It's a nice thought and for second she lets herself pretend he's not the boy whose life she stole, but someone from school, like Mike Newton's little brother.

The illusion doesn't last long, however, because his blood red eyes are staring into hers. Immediately from the look on his face she knows he knows who she is, that she's the one who made him.

As they come closer to the house, Esme and Edward move closer to Bella. They're standing on either side of her in a way that almost reminds her of when she was human. They're protecting her. Carlisle stops a few feet from the house and gives her a warm, sympathetic smile she doesn't deserve.

"Carlisle," Edward greets him. Out of the corner of her eye she can see him shake his head minutely and she wonders what Carlisle is asking him.

Carlisle clears his throat and glances behind him to Jack, who is still staring at her. "Jack, I would like you to meet my son and daughter-in-law, Edward and Bella."

"Hello," she greets him.

Jack's eyes momentarily flicker to Edward before they focus back on her. He doesn't say anything to them or even acknowledges them beyond what he's already done.

Bella's stomach tightens at the behaviour and guilt solidifies in her stomach. She doesn't know what to do, she only knows what she _wants_ to do. She wants to apologise, to beg for forgiveness, but she doesn't know how or the words to do it. She's not even sure there are even words to apologise for this. There's nothing she can say that will change what's happened or make it better.

How do you apologise for something that should never have happened?

On one level she knows that what she did was an accident, unintentional. Bella still can't remember making the decision to drink from Jack... it just _happened_. On another level, however, she knows that she's completely and utterly responsible for destroying Jack's life.

Bella closes her eyes momentarily and opens her mouth, she needs to say something – anything – to Jack, but before she can speak Alice moves from her spot behind Jack to stand in front of him.

"There's a shower upstairs, Jack," Alice tells him, her voice unusually subdued. "You should get cleaned up."

Jack stares at Bella for another minute and then heads up stairs without saying a word.

ooOOOoo

_Jack discovers that Carlisle left more than a little bit of information out when he was explaining what was happening to him while he was Changing. For one thing, he left out rather important information about his kids, like the fact that four of them have 'powers': a mind-reader, a seer, an empath and a mental shield (the last one sounds kind of boring to Jack). _

_He also neglected to tell Jack just how __**painful **__being a vampire is. Even after slaughtering an entire herd of deer Jack's not sated. He has O'Neill's memories of starving inside a Goa'uld cell, in Iraq, but the hunger O'Neill felt then is __**nothing**__ compared to his thirst now. He doesn't want to stop feeding._

_God help him, he's not sure there's enough blood in the world to satisfy him._

ooOOOoo

Bella waits until she hears the shower before she turns to Alice, glaring.

"Why didn't you let me talk to him?"

Alice makes a face, her expression pained. "He's not ready to talk to you yet."

Edward stiffens beside her and suddenly Bella understands. "You can see his future?"

She shakes her head. "No, I can't see him any better now than I did when he was Changing. Edward can't read his mind, either."

"Then what?"

It's Jasper who answers. "He's very angry, Bella, and when he saw you it intensified. He remembers everything about his life before the change..."

"We know, Esme told us," Bella tells him.

"He also remembers everything that happened during the change. He knows you're responsible for what happened to him and..." Jasper hesitates. "Bella, I've never felt rage and hatred like that before, not even from Jane and Alec when they were here."

Bella freezes at the mention of the two vampires Bella's only had the pleasure of meeting twice. Jane and Alec, twins in their human life. They are part of the guard that protects the oldest and most dangerous vampire clan, the Volturi. The Volturi rule their kind, through power and fear, and their Guard, well, Bella's never seen more terrifying vampires in her life. The Volturi Guard is mostly full of vampires with special abilities. Jane and Alec are the highest ranking and most feared guards in the Volturi; Jane has the ability to cause a person pain with a thought while Alec can cut off a person's senses completely. The fact Jasper is comparing Jack to Jane and Alec terrifies her not just because the twins are so vicious, but because Alec and Jane are around the same age as Jack, maybe a little younger... and that brings up questions Bella doesn't want answered.

"Did he tell you anything about himself? His family?" Edward asks.

Carlisle shakes his head. "He refused to answer any of our questions. In fact, he was careful not to tell us much of anything."

"Much of anything?" Bella repeats. "So he did tell you something?"

Carlisle hesitates, but Rosalie doesn't have a problem telling her what Jack has said.

"He wanted to be an Air Force pilot."

The words hurt more than a million 'I told you so's.

ooOOOoo

_Apparently, for the first year of their new life, vampires are a little... unstable. They're stronger than other vampires, their bloodlust is at its worst, they're unable to control their temper and they're unable to focus on one thing for too long. _

_Jack's always had a little trouble focusing, but his temper was never this bad. _

_He's never tried to kill someone for making a mistake before._

ooOOOoo

Jack tries to kill her two days after they meet for the first time. She tries to apologise to him and he moves so fast Jasper and Emmett barely stop him in time.

He tries to kill her for a second time three days later. She doesn't do anything to provoke him this time, he just sees her and attacks.

They start avoiding each other after that.

ooOOOoo

_He tries, really he does, but the instinct to kill is so strong that he attacks before he thinks._

_He hates her. _

_He hates that he will be fifteen forever. He hates that he'll never get his life back. He hates that all he wants, every second of every day, is blood and that animals aren't enough to quench his thirst. He hates that he can't seem to focus on anything that's __**not**__ blood._

_More than anything, though, he hates that he sparkles._

ooOOOoo

"I wish you could read his mind," Bella tells Edward late one night. She can hear Jack upstairs and has been listening to him move around for the last two hours. She thinks he's reading a book.

"I wish I could read yours," Edward says, and she feels yet another stab of guilt.

She never really understood Edward when she had been human. She always felt he was too hard on himself, too quick to call himself a monster. She still doesn't think he's a monster, but she gets it now. She understands how he could feel that way and why he did the things he did.

There's not a second that goes by that Bella isn't consumed by her guilt because of Jack. In fact, she obsessed by it, by Jack. Every time she sees him – hears him – she's reminded of the fact that she chose to become a killer. She's pretty sure Edward is as obsessed with Jack as she is, although for different reasons. It's all they seem to talk about now, it's all that she thinks about.

"Do you regret it?" Edward asks, whispers. Jack's stereo is now playing loudly, no doubt so he can't hear them talk.

"Regret what?"

"Becoming a vampire."

There's a moment of hesitation before she tells him she doesn't.

Edward doesn't look her in the eyes for a long time after that.


	2. Chapter 2

**"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away"**

Source: Unknown

ooOOoo

_.It takes Jack far too long to remember who he is, to remember that there's more in the world than blood and killing Bella. In fact, he's a little shocked to see how much time has passed since his Change. Time, it appears, is relative to vampires as well because it feels like Jack was only burning up a few days ago, where in reality it's over three months before he comes back to himself. _

_He still craves blood every second (and millisecond) of the day, but the bloodlust and his homicidal urges have faded enough to allow him to think of things he'd quite frankly rather not think of. It pisses him off a little that he's been so weak and hasn't had the ability to fight off what's happening to him. _

_It's only now that he has a true appreciation for what's happening and the people around him. Jasper told him that, after a Change, their human memories don't usually survive, but Jack has all of his memories. __**All**__ of them. He remembers the full life of Colonel Jack O'Neill, including being cloned by an alien race called the Asgard. A part of the Asgard cloning process is copying all the memories from the person being cloned and then inserting them in the clone, so they could just continue on with life without missing a beat. _

_Jack thinks this is why he can remember everything. He remembers every single second in frightening _

_detail. It's also why he thinks Edward can't read his mind (thank Christ!) and Alice can't see his future. He's built differently on a fundamental level that Changing didn't fix. _

_On one hand he's relieved – immensely relieved – because the secrets he inherited from the real O'Neill are safe from Edward and Alice's abilities. On the other hand, however, he feels no relief, only pain, because he knows exactly what he's missing in his life, that he has to live with these memories forever. _

_And because he knows __**exactly**__ who and what he is. _

_O'Neill's whole life, especially the last ten years, has been about protecting people. Since joining the SGC, O'Neill made it his life mission to destroy the Goa'uld because he was against everything they were and what they stood for. They were monsters, a threat to the people of Earth, and now Jack is one himself... and he's not sure what he should do with that information._

ooOOoo

Jack releases himself from his self-imposed isolation on the ninety-ninth day after his Change. He's gained more control over his thirst and his temper and, on a hunt with Carlisle, said that he wanted to have a 'briefing' with the entire family.

It takes four days for Carlisle to convince Edward that it is safe for him to let Bella and Jack to be in the same room together. On the day of the 'briefing' Bella finds herself spending more time in front of the mirror than usual. She wants to make a good impression.

It's awkward when they finally get downstairs. The whole family is there as well as Jack, but it's silent. There's not even any teasing from Emmett. Bella hates that things are so awkward now and she doesn't know how to make it better.

"Good morning," Bella greets everyone, but the greeting is really meant for Jack.

He glances up at her, his eyes, she notes, aren't as red as before. She expects him to hold her gaze for a little while longer and then go back to pretending she isn't there, but to her surprise he acknowledges her with a nod. "Morning."

A shocked quiet replaces the awkward one as everyone watches the two of them carefully. Eventually, though, Carlisle breaks the silence. "Jack, you wanted to talk to us?" It's the first time she's seen Carlisle this awkward.

He nods. "Yeah. I figured my tantrum has gone on long enough."

"Tantrum?" Bella repeats, surprised at his, well, maturity. He's a fifteen year old who is now a vampire. While this fate is one that Bella chose, it's not one she would have chosen at Jack's age. In fact, Jack's age is a constant source of guilt for her. They're all relatively young, Edward, up until now, being the youngest at the physical age of seventeen, but at least he can pass for older with a little effort. Jack will never be able to pass for an adult. He'll never be able to live amongst humans without some sort of adult with him. The only girls that will be interested in him will be ones around the same age as he is or younger... Just the thought of what he has to live with now makes her sick.

"Yeah, tantrum," Jack repeats, pulling her from her thoughts. "You know, ignoring everyone, not leaving my room, playing music really loud, raging at the vampire world in general... You know, acting like the proverbial angsty teenage vampire."

Emmett snorts at his words which earns him a smack from Esme. "We understand how difficult this is for you, Jack."

Bella's not sure what reply she expected to Esme's sympathy, but she didn't expect Jack to actually laugh.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure you don't," he says, his voice tinged with bitterness.

"What do you mean?" Jasper asks.

Jack ignores the question and continues. "I figured that I could either spend the next century sulking in my room, or I can get to know my new 'family'."

The words sound reasonable enough, but the inflection behind them makes her uneasy. "Jack..." Bella begins and looks to Alice. Her eyes glaze over for a moment and she frowns. Like everyone in the family, she wished Alice's power worked on Jack. "I'm sorry."

It's only two words, but she can't think of anything beyond that to express how sorry she is.

Jack looks pained at the words but nods. He doesn't say that he forgives her or that he accepts her apology. Her heart sinks. She didn't really expect his forgiveness. She's not sure she would be all that forgiving in his position either.

"Jack..." Carlisle breaks the once again awkward silence. "Do you have any questions you would like to ask us?"

It's only now that they're all together that Bella realises just how hard this has been on the family. Bella's slip and Jack's Change has put them all on edge. Jack's death has put them all at risk of exposure, just like any slip would, but what makes this worse for all of them is the fact that Jack hasn't been all that forthcoming with information about his past life, and the fact that there hasn't been a single mention in the paper about Jack's disappearance.

They're still maintaining their close watch on all forms of media for any mention of Jack. Alice and Edward are trying to use their gifts as well as they can to see or hear anything, but they've still had no success. There has been no parents on the television crying, begging their son to come home. No missing person posters being put up on all the telegraph poles in the town closest to where Jack disappeared. As far as any of them can determine, there hasn't even been a report made to the police.

Carlisle has tried to talk to Jack about it more than a few times, as has Jasper, but Jack hasn't answered any of their questions. Apparently he doesn't even seem to be all that surprised that no one has misses him. Bella hopes they get some answers, but not as much as she hopes she gets forgiveness.

"Well, you've given me the basics about the family, who was created first and all that. I also know some of you have powers and, with the exception of Jasper and Bella's, they don't work on me," he tells them. "I guess what I would like to know is more about vampires in general."

Bella lets out a relieved sigh. She thought for sure Jack would ask –

"But I think that can wait. What I really want to know is how this happened to me."

– about what happened to him.

Everyone freezes, including Bella.

"It was an accident," Edward says.

Jack looks at Edward. "I didn't think it was intentional. Carlisle already told me Bella was just coming out of her newborn year when it happened." He leans back in his chair and studies both her and Edward. "You know, it's kind of interesting that everyone has been so open with how they were all Changed. I've heard pretty much everyone's story... except Bella's. No one will tell me how she was Changed, or why."

Edward grips her hand and Bella knows exactly what he's thinking. They've all avoided this topic before now because, quite simply, they didn't know how Jack would react to the knowledge that she chose this life.

It's time, Bella decides, to face her consequences so, without any fanfare, she tells him her story.

ooOOoo

_She's kidding, right?_

ooOOoo

Jack stares at her his face unreadable. It's out in the open now and she feels more than a little relief that she doesn't have to hide this anymore.

"So let me get this straight," Jack begins. "You chose this life."

"Yes."

"Because of Edward. You fell in love with him and you couldn't live without him, so you decided to become a vampire."

There's no animosity in his words. He's genuinely trying to understand.

"Yes."

"Bella..." Edward begins, ready to interrupt.

But Edward interrupting is the last thing she wants so she holds up his hands to silence him. "Edward, no."

"But the Volturi..."

"Volturi?" Jack repeats.

"They are the most powerful vampire coven in existence. I guess you could call them the leaders of our kind," Carlisle explains. "If a vampire steps out of line or if they break our one rule, they are the vampires who deal with them."

"So there are a lot more of us out there?" he asks, frowning. "Enough of us that we actually have rules to live by?"

"Only one. We are not to allow humans to know of our existence. If a human becomes aware of our kind they are to be killed or Changed. The vampire who broke the rule can also be sentenced to death. When they became aware that Bella knew of our existence, they ordered she be Changed."

"Well that explains why I didn't know vampires existed before my Change."

Bella sighs in frustration, they're getting off track. "But that's not why I did this. Yes the Volturi would have killed me if I didn't become a vampire, but the ultimatum they gave me only helped me plead my case to Edward and to the family, it didn't help me decide it."

"So this is what you wanted," Jack asks once again for clarification. "You wanted this, even though you knew something like this could happen?"

The room comes alive at Jack's question. Jasper and Rose both grab onto Jack's arms and Emmett is now standing behind him with his hands on his shoulders, holding him down.

Bella swallows nervously because none of them have missed the way Jack is gripping the table. "There was nothing I wanted in this world more than Edward." But it's not exactly the same now. Everything is different. Her love for Edward had been so pure, so right, but now it and everything else feels tainted. Now she's not so certain of anything. "So yes, I knowing chose this life knowing the consequences."

Jack face is still a blank mask. "Wow. I mean, seriously, _wow_."

She hates this, so much. "I'm sorry."

"Are you? Really?" he asks. "I mean, I get it. You loved Edward and the only way for you to be with him was to become like him. You thought your love for him was worth dying for?"

She nods.

"And you also thought it was worth killing for?"

She flinches.

"It's not like that," Edward growls. He pushes the chair back, as though he's about to launch himself across the table at Jack, but Carlisle and Esme move to his side, holding him down.

"I think perhaps we should continue this conversation another time," Carlisle says.

"No."

All eyes go to Bella. "We need to discuss this now. We need... _I_ need to own this. Jack is right. I made this choice and I knew there was a chance that this would happen, but I believed being with Edward was the most important thing. I didn't want this to happen. Jack, I want you know understand that. I didn't want this to happen, but it did and no amount of apologies will ever change that. I will regret what happened to you for the rest of my existence.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't consider the possibility that I would kill someone. I did. I just... Well, I truly believed it wouldn't happen to me. I thought I would be like Carlisle and Rose. Obviously I'm not." She looks to Rose and Edward. "You both warned me what this life was like and I chose to go ahead anyway, consequences be damned."

She's not sure what Jack's reaction is going to be, but she doesn't expect him to put his face in his hands, though the growl of frustration is expected. "I need to hunt."

They're all confused by Jack's words, including Bella.

"Jasper, Rosalie, can you take me hunting? I need to kill something."

ooOOoo

_It's like some sick joke someone is playing on him, but so far no one's told him the punch line (personally, he thinks __**he's**__ the punch line). Jasper and Rose don't hunt with him. Instead they just watch him silently, as though they're waiting for him to explode. _

_"She wasn't lying, was she?" Jack asks after killing three elk and uprooting four trees. "I'm really here because she wanted to be with her boyfriend?" _

_"It's a bit more complicated than that," Jasper says. _

_"Complicated," Jack repeats, not believing him for a second. "What the hell was Edward doing dating her anyway? Wasn't he born in the early 1900's? She was a kid for crying out loud!"_

_"Edward has been alone for a long time..." _

_"Bullshit," he snaps. "He was a hundred and change and she was what, seventeen when they met? He's been around long enough to know what teenage kids are like! You don't let an eighteen year old make a decision to become a monster!" As soon as he says the words he wishes he could take them back because he sure as hell doesn't sound like a fifteen year old kid. Fortunately, neither Rose or Jasper notice. Well, not that he can tell. _

_"Some of us tried to talk her out of it," Rose tells him. _

_"Regardless of whether or not we could talk her out of it, the fact of the matter is that she really didn't have a choice. The Volturi would have killed her had they found she was still human and there is nothing we could have done about it," Jasper tells him. "The Volturi and their Guard consist of vampires with powers not unlike mine. Some have abilities that far surpass anyone in our family possess. There is a vampire, Demetri, who can track any person anywhere in the world. There is another who can cause pain with her mind and her brother can paralyse our senses to stop us from feeling or even moving. Some of those powers don't work on Bella because of her mental shield, but there are other ways the Volturi could have gotten to her." _

_Suddenly Jack's anger disappears and is replaced something akin to fear. "Tell me more about this Volturi."_

ooOOoo

Alice starts seeing flashes of a vision about a month after Jack's family meeting. They're fleeting, nothing she can fix on, and everything she does see passes by in a blur. Bella watches silently as Alice growls and paces the room in frustration. It's just the two of them, Jack is out hunting with Jasper, Emmett, Rose and Edward while Carlisle and Esme are out for a night alone.

"It's all a blur," she rants. "I can't see his decision or the result."

"You think he's made a decision about something?" Something that affects them?

Alice shrugs. "It could be someone deciding to look for Jack, but I can't be sure."

ooOOoo

_It takes him a little over a month to accumulate the information he wishes he didn't have. He gets why humans don't know vampires exist and, truthfully, everything he's learned scares the shit out of him. _

_He's learned that vampires have been around for __**thousands **__of years. He's learned that Alice, Edward and Jasper aren't the only vampires to have super duper special powers, and that there are vampires with more impressive powers than them – most of them, interestingly enough, were in the Volturi Guard. He's learned that vampires can make armies, and that they're nearly unstoppable. He's learned that his 'family' likes to pretend they're human and actually decide to test their control – and fate – in schools full of kids. _

_Most importantly, he's learned that the Cullens are the exception to the rule and that most of them feed off humans. _

ooOOoo

The visions start coming more frequently now, daily. They're still a blur, no one knows what they mean, but Bella fears them none-the-less.

She's not sure she wants to know what they mean.

ooOOoo

_Jack has a theory on vampires. He doesn't believe they're supernatural creatures at all, not like Carlisle and the rest of the family do. Jack's had a lot of time to think about vampires, and what they really are, and he's come to the conclusion that they're not demons or the undead or any crap like that. Nope, Jack thinks they're the result of an alien race who fed off blood when they came to Earth thousands of years ago. He doesn't know what they were like when they first got here, but Jack and the Cullens are the end result._

_He could be wrong. More than likely he probably is, but Jack finds this easier to deal with if he has some sort of alien disease in him and is not the living dead. He's not sure how the Volturi fit into his theory but then, to be honest, he's not sure what to think about the Volturi full stop. _

_He's in over his head and he needs help._


	3. Chapter 3

**~Chapter Three~ **

**You can't create a monster, then whine when it stomps on a few buildings. **

Lisa Simpson, _The Simpson's_

"I need to make a phone call."

The announcement comes out of the blue and catches them all off guard. Suddenly they all have trouble looking at him. They were expecting this request months ago and, now that he's finally asked, none of them know how to answer it. The fact that he's asking to make a phone call fills Bella with relief on one level, but worries her on another. She knows this conversation isn't going to end well.

Carlisle is at work so it's Esme who fields the question, her face a picture of sympathy. "I'm sorry, Jack, but you can't call anyone," she tells him. "If you contact your family there is a risk that they will find out the truth about what happened to you. If they do the Volturi will not only kill you, but they will kill everyone you talk to and possibly anyone your family talk to."

Jack shakes his head. "The Volturi will become involved if I _don't_ make the call."

The response causes all of them to freeze and Bella's stomach to drop to her shoes.

"What do you mean?" Jasper asks.

To Bella's surprise, Jack looks to her when he speaks. "I'm the first human you've fed from, aren't I?"

She nods.

"Carlisle said that you told him that you didn't feel any desire to taste my blood again after Alice and Rosalie pulled you off me. Why didn't you want my blood anymore?" he asks.

The question catches her off guard.

Bella frowns. Her memory of feeding from Jack is still so hazy and she's been so filled with guilt that she's never really thought about it. Bella never had trouble with humans before Jack. While she's tried to avoid them, she's been close enough to catch their scent, but she never has attacked one... and she's fairly certain that if she did attack one she wouldn't be able to stop. The scent of human blood is indescribable.

Not for the first time, she finds herself wondering about the details of Jack's attack. "Your blood was unappealing."

He turns to Edward. "You can't read my mind."

It's not a question, but Edward answers anyway. "No."

Next he turns to Alice. "And you couldn't see my future. You mentioned before that it's all fuzzy? "

She nods and, interestingly, neglects to mention the blurry visions. Bella's almost certain now that they're from Jack, especially now he wants to make a phone call.

"And I have trouble reading your emotions," Jasper finishes for him. "I can feel powerful emotions, but your more subtle emotions are difficult to access. Where are you going with this?"

Jack doesn't have a chance to answer, because Rose suddenly joins the conversation. "You know why their powers don't work on you as they do on others, don't you?"

Bella always thought that Edward and Alice's blind spot with Jack is his power manifesting itself, but now she's not so sure.

"Yes."

"Why?" Edward wants to know.

Bella is more than a little curious herself.

"I can't tell you."

"Why can't you tell us?" Esme asks gently. "Jack, I know this has been extremely difficult for you, but you must know that you can trust us. We want to do everything we can to make this easy for you. We want you to be a part of this family."

Jack smiles at Esme with a gentleness that Bella has never seen from him before. "I appreciate the offer, Esme, but my reasons for secrecy have nothing to do with my distrust of you."

"Why can't you tell us?" Edward asks.

"I guess you could say I have to follow rules similar to the ones the Volturi expect your kind... our kind to follow. I can't tell anyone because I'm not allowed. My secrets and my existence are classified."

Everyone in the room freezes at his words, at the implication behind them.

"Classified?" Rose repeats, confused.

"There's a reason why no one has been looking for me," Jack tells them, avoiding the question. "But it's only a matter of time before people start to get worried by my prolonged absence."

"Why haven't they come looking for you before now?"

"Because they have instructions to leave me alone. By all rights, they are supposed to let me live my life until I'm ready to either contact them or rejoin them. Sooner or later, however, someone will start to worry," he tells them. "Didn't any of you think it was a little suspicious that my disappearance didn't make the news?"

A feeling of dread washes over Bella. "What will happen if you don't make your phone call?"

He hesitates for a moment. "They'll come looking for me."

"Who's 'they'?" Jasper wants to know.

"Friends of mine." He makes a face. "Technically speaking, they're not my friends, but because of my connection to O'Neill they'll search for me."

"O'Neill?" Jasper repeats.

Jack nods. "Colonel Jack O'Neill, United States Air Force."

The only sound that can be heard in the house is the sound of the table cracking under Rosalie's hands.

ooOOoo

_Okay, so he wasn't exactly telling the truth when he asked to make his phone call. Jack's pretty sure SG-1 and O'Neill know he's missing by now. School started months ago, so his absence would have set off some alarms with his teenage friends. Jack has no doubt all the authorities have been alerted, but the military would have pulled any photographs and information about him from the internet to ensure no one accidentally sees a picture of a teenager who looks exactly like Colonel O'Neill did when he was a teenager. Jack's also pretty sure they would have already started searching for him, even though O'Neill did promise to leave him the hell alone. They just wouldn't have found him. Jack had been careful to cover his tracks on his trip to Canada and the vampires tracks would be impossible to trace. _

_He also wasn't telling the truth when he said he needs to make a phone call. He's not sure if wants to make a call or not. The fact of the matter is he's a little scared of the consequences._

ooOOoo

They're all still in shock when Jack disappears upstairs and it's only when Jack turns his music on that they react.

Esme immediately calls Carlisle. Alice is growling in frustration as she tries in vain to see if she can see Jack's future. Rose is furious, the dining table is now completely destroyed, and Emmett is doing everything in his power to keep her calm. Surprisingly, the only two not openly reacting to Jack's announcement are Jasper and Edward. They're simply staring at one another. Eventually the others notice.

"What is it?" Emmett asks, glancing between the two of them.

"I think Jack is keeping something from us," Jasper says.

"What do you mean?"

"When he asked to make the phone call, his emotions were... interesting. In fact, his emotions have been quite interesting for a while now."

"Interesting, how?" Rose demands.

"When he spoke about someone coming to look for him, there was pain and grief."

"He's hurt because no one has come looking for him?"

"No. I could only feel his pain when he started talking about the humans in his life having instructions to leave him alone." Jasper says. "Whatever reason they have for keeping away from him hurts him a great deal. He had some doubts as well. It seemed like he doubts anyone will come look for him or maybe find him."

"Does it really matter?" Rose asks. "Unless you are able to tell me if he was lying, it doesn't matter what he's feeling. If there's even a chance of someone from Jack's past somehow finding us..."

"She's has a point," Emmett agrees. "If what he said about the Air Force Colonel is true, we're in deep shit."

Bella fights to urge to scream. "Could you tell if he was lying?"

Jasper shakes his head. "Not without a heart rate."

"What about his emotions? Was he nervous, scared?" She wants him to be lying. He has to have been lying about an Air Force Colonel coming looking for him.

"He's just angry, although I don't think it's entirely directed at Bella like I originally thought. Some of the anger he's feeling is actually directed towards the people he was talking about." Jasper sighs in frustration. "Although, I admit that he still feels some serious rage towards Bella. Considering his volatile mood and his feelings for Bella, this could be a problem."

Bella's heart sinks.

"He could use his hatred towards Bella to destroy us," Rose says what Jasper doesn't.

"Do you think this is why Alice has been having those visions? Because Jack wants to contact someone?" Emmett asks.

Alice nods. "I think so. Nothing has changed since he made his announcement."

Rose swears.

"What about our futures?" Bella asks. "Are we all still all right?"

"Yes," Alice concedes. "But I don't know the extent of interference Jack has on my visions. I've had visions since he came to us, but nothing of significance, just visions about minor decisions. I haven't had any connected to Jack, period. I'm not sure if that's because of Jack or it's because we simply haven't made any significant decisions."

Emmett swears. "If your lack of visions are because of Jack we're screwed."

"Maybe. I just don't know!" Alice says, frustrated. "I don't know if it's Jack or because we haven't decided anything to change our future. I don't even know whose decisions to look for. I tried to look for that Colonel O'Neill Jack mentioned, but all I get are more blurry visions. I think..."

"What?" Rose demands.

"I don't think Jack has made a definite decision. Even though his visions are blurry, they occur in a pattern that reminds me of someone constantly changing their mind. I think it has to do with this call. He wants to make the call but he hasn't made that final decision. He's hesitating."

"Or maybe he's not hesitating and the reason our futures haven't changed is because Jack's ability to make a call relies on us," Edward points out. "There is at least three of us with Jack at any given time. He doesn't leave the house, so unless he goes into a populated area or attempts to steal our phones, which will be difficult given that we outnumber him, he has to rely on us allowing him to contact someone. We haven't made a decision so our futures haven't changed."

That doesn't reassure Bella in the slightest. "What do we do?" _What can I do? _She wants to ask. The entire family is in danger, serious danger, because she killed Jack.

No one has any answers.

Her perfect life has turned into the perfect nightmare.

ooOOoo

_Jack knows that as soon as he makes the call whoever he calls will insist on seeing him and that's why he's hesitating. He plans to tell O'Neill to stay away until he doesn't want to eat the people he once thought of as family, but he's not sure O'Neill will listen. He sure as hell wouldn't in O'Neill's shoes. Jack knows, without a doubt, that he'll kill any human who comes near him. His bloodlust is a bit more manageable, but he doesn't think he'll be able to resist human blood right now, not if it's as good as everyone describes._

_Although, the fact that he knows he'll kill someone is reason enough to call O'Neill. _

ooOOoo

Carlisle arrives home two hours after Jack's request. Bella, along with every other member of the family, listens as Carlisle attempts to talk to Jack. He doesn't tell Carlisle anything that he hasn't already said and Bella feels something akin to dread wash over her.

"So what do we do now?" Esme asks.

The entire family is at a loss. Without Edward and Alice's abilities to guide them, they're not sure what to do.

"You should make the decision," Edward says to Carlisle. "See if maybe that triggers Alice's visions."

Carlisle nods.

Alice screams.

ooOOoo

_Jack swears as soon as he hears the scream because he just knows it has something to do with him. _

_He's all the Cullens ever talk about. _

ooOOoo

Alice's screams chill Bella to the bone. Every member of the family momentarily freezes at the sound before taking action. Emmett and Jasper race to her side. Rose and Esme are standing helplessly next to Bella as they watch Alice sob. Edward is standing with Carlisle across the room, his face a picture of horror as he watches Alice's vision in her mind. Bella sees Jack standing at the top of the stairs, watching Alice in concern.

"Alice, sweetheart." Jasper gently pulls her into his arms. "What did you see?"

Alice shakes her head.

"She's terrified," Jasper mutters to them. He runs his hand through her hair. "Edward, what did she see?"

Edward doesn't answer the question at first, his eyes still on Alice and whatever they're seeing. The sight of Edward so scared terrifies Bella more than she can say.

"A war," he says finally, causing them all to gasp.

"War?" Jack repeats.

"Another newborn army?" Bella asks, terrified.

He shakes his head. "Humans and our kind, the Volturi."

The Volturi? Her heart sinks. Instantly she knows exactly what is behind this vision. Who is behind it.

"Wait? Humans? You mean a war between vampires and humans?" Emmett asks.

"It's hard to tell. There are humans there, some with strange weapons."

"Humans with strange weapons?" Jack moves down the stairs and stands in front of Edward. "There are humans with strange weapons fighting the Volturi?"

Edward's eyes narrow. "Yes."

"Can you describe them to me, the weapons?"

Alice looks up at the question and moves away from Jasper. "They're shaped like the letter 'z'."

"Were there many casualties? Human casualties."

Alice nods. "All of them. The Volturi are feeding from them in my vision."

Jack closes his eyes.

"You're dead as well," Alice tells him. "Almost all of us are."

Bella lets out a cry of alarm at her words. Given Jack's expression, she knows that this vision is a result of Carlisle deciding to allow Jack to call Colonel O'Neill.

"Alice and I are the only ones left," Edward continues, still staring at Jack. His expression is no longer horrified, but thoughtful. Angry, even. His eyes blacken. "There is a man in the vision, a human, that looks remarkably like you, Jack. An older version of you, about sixty, but the resemblance was significant. From what I could tell he was killed moments before Alice's vision became clear."

Jack says nothing.

"Interestingly, a majority of Alice's vision was blurry until the very end."

"Edward, what are you saying?" Carlisle asks.

"I'm saying that I think Alice had her first vision from Jack," he tells them. "When you made the decision to allow Jack to call Colonel O'Neill it gave Alice a back door into a vision based on Jack's decision to contact his friends. But a majority of the vision was still blurry, at least it was until the man who looked like Jack died. Jack must tell Colonel O'Neill what he is and obviously Colonel O'Neill acts on that knowledge, given the number of military personnel in the vision."

"And the Volturi obviously find out," Carlisle finishes for him.

Edward nods.

Bella gasps. She wants to tell Edward that he's misunderstanding the vision, but she can't. Bella knows all too well how Alice's visions work and if Jack had simply told Colonel O'Neill that he was alive and well, Alice wouldn't have had that vision. The fact that Alice saw this immediately after Carlisle made his choice means that his decision set off a chain of events that are certain.

"You plan to betray us?" Jasper asks as he gets to his feet. "Why?"

"Humans should know about us, or at least be aware of our existence," Jack says, not bothering to deny the accusation. He doesn't even look at all apologetic. "I was going to call O'Neill, the guy who looks like me, and tell him about our kind."

Bella can't believe what she's hearing... or maybe she can. In fact, she's not sure she would be any different in his situation. "Weren't you worried about you killing him?"

Jack shakes his head. "I was planning on telling O'Neill to wait until my year was up. He would have listened, I think."

"Why would you put him at risk?" Carlisle asks. "Surely after everything we've told you about our kind, you know that humans are no match for us. You know that telling him would only endanger him."

"Why?" Jack lets out a bark of laughter. "For crying out loud, we're creatures who need to feed off blood to survive! We're so strong and indestructible that an army of less than a hundred vampires could wipe out a human army of thousands. There are some of us who have extra powers; ones who can see everyone's thought with a touch, cause pain with a single look, hunt a person down wherever they are and that's just for starters!

"And then, of course, we have the good vampires. Okay, sure, you guys eat animals but as far as I'm concerned, that doesn't make you us any less dangerous," Jack says, his eyes on Carlisle. "I mean, you Changed a seventeen year old kid because you needed a companion. You damned a seventeen year old kid to this hell because you were lonely, and then you damned three more people to make a better life for yourself! You may think that's okay but, personally, I think it's seriously fucked up. Although, not as fucked up as pretending to be a family and sending your 'kids' to a place where they are surrounded by kids, real kids, every single damn day. You say you're peaceful vampires, but you don't think twice about endangering human children! Christ, you don't even have a problem when a century year old vampire starts dating a seventeen year old human girl. You want to know why I wanted to tell the military about your existence? That's why! Humans need someone on their side and it sure as hell isn't you or this family."

Bella feels sick by the time Jack finishes. She's never heard someone speak with such venom. She knew Jack hated her, but she never realised that extended to all of them, Jack himself included.

"You hate us," Jasper says unnecessarily.

Jack nods. "We don't belong here. We shouldn't exist."

"You said that you were going to tell O'Neill to wait until you're no longer a newborn," Edward says. "In Alice's vision there were a lot more humans there than just O'Neill. Does this surprise you?"

"No."

"They were armed. All of them."

"We're a threat."

The meaning behind Jack's words slam into Bella and suddenly it feels as though her world is crashing down around her.

Bella wonders what she created.

ooOOoo

_Jack's more than a little disappointed that his plan to involve O'Neill in his new living Hell turned out to be not such a good idea. He thought for sure that telling O'Neill would end this... Although, technically, it does, but not the way he wants. _

_"We're a threat?" Jasper repeats, taking a step towards him. "So you were going to offer us up to the military? You wanted them to kill us?" _

_When Jack doesn't answer Jasper blurs across the room towards him. _

_It surprises Jack how hard it is to keep still and not fight back. Jasper's hand is now around his neck. He knows that Jasper is going to kill him soon. The thought alone is actually enough to take the fight out of him. Not because he doesn't want to die, but because he's already dead and there are far worse things than a permanent death._

_This existence being one of them. _

_When Jack doesn't answer Jasper shakes him again, but before Jack can even open his mouth another figure blurs across the room, slamming into Jasper and knocking them all to the ground. The impact causes Jasper to let go of Jack and when Jack looks up to see who rescued him, he sees something that, well, confuses the hell out of him. _

_Bella Cullen is standing directly in front of him growling at Jasper. _

ooOOoo

It's instinct and guilt that has Bella growling at her brother-in-law as well as pure desperation. She knows, even though no one has said, that Jasper is going to kill Jack. Bella knows how this family works and how very important they are to each other. Threats to the family aren't tolerated and the fact that one of Jack's decisions has brought about this vision means that he is a threat to this family. One that they won't hesitate to deal with.

Since this is a threat that Bella's created she can't let that happen. At least not until she's had a chance to fight for Jack, maybe even talk him around. Bella can't bear the thought of the family in danger, but she can't bear the thought of Jack being killed.

He is her consequence, her responsibility, and she can't give up on him. Not yet.

"Bella!" Edward exclaims. He's hurt or maybe confused that she's putting herself between Jasper and Jack. She wishes she knew what to say to Edward. God, she wishes she could look him in the eye.

"No," she says, though she's not sure what she's saying no to.

"No?" Jasper repeats. "Bella..."

"He doesn't understand," she says. "He doesn't know us. He doesn't know that this life isn't always bad."

As the words leave her mouth she knows they're not true and that, maybe, Jack understands all too well. Bella's certainly beginning to.

"He's only a kid, Jasper, and he doesn't understand the consequences of what we are," Bella implores him. "Give him a chance. You know that futures not going to happen now. Carlisle won't let him make the call and even if he did, I'm sure Jack won't tell them anything, not if it means the death of his friends."

"She's right, Jasper," Esme agrees.

Jasper doesn't like it. "Alice, the vision..."

"Is gone, completely," she tells him. "Our futures are normal."

Reluctantly, Jasper nods and steps away. Bella lets out an unnecessary sigh of relief. Although, truthfully, she's not sure she's done the right thing.

ooOOoo

_"Well, that was unexpected," Jack mutters to himself. _

_He's back in his room now, his music playing loud. He knows the family are downstairs having yet another family discussion about what they're going to do with him._

_Jack won't be calling the SGC any time soon, not after what Alice saw. The Cullens may not care about consequences, but Jack does. He still believes that vampires are a threat to humans and that they should be destroyed, but calling in the military isn't the best way handle the problem. He realises now sending humans to deal with vampires is like sending the space shuttle to take care of a Goa'uld Mothership. _

_He just needs to find another way. _

ooOOoo

There's a tension in the house that's never been there before, even after Jack joined them. It's been over two months since Alice's vision and their confrontation with Jack and everything is different. Bella's not sure if they ever will recover, at least not while Jack is with them.

Jack stays away from them more than ever now. Their confrontation didn't bridge the gap between them, it just widened it. He rarely leaves his room, only to hunt, and makes no effort to talk to any of them. Bella's not sure what's going to happen or how it's going to end. Sometimes she gets the feeling Jack is only biding his time with them, that as soon as he's out of his newborn year he'll disappear.

Whatever happens she knows nothing will ever be the same.

She finally gets it now, understands why Edward fought so hard to keep her from this life and why he didn't want her to become one of them. She finally gets why he hated what he was so very much, because Bella hates what she is now.

She loves Edward with all her heart, but she wonders now if she had known the true consequences of her choice, if she would have made the same decision.

**END**

**AUTHORS NOTE:**

Firstly, thank you all for your reviews they are much appreciated.

Secondly, I'm sure this is not how many of you envisioned I ended this. There are two reasons for this ending. The first this was written as part of the vampire big bang challenge and therefore I had to work within certain parameters. The second thing is that I the fic was very intense to write and I found it quite difficult to maintain Jack's level of anger.

That being said, **there will be sequel. **In fact, there will be several one-shots (featuring Jack and SG-1 members) as well as possibly a multi-part fic about Jack setting things right. Jack has not given up, he's just appreciates the consequences more than some, but he is not going to just lie back and embrace his new life. I'm not sure when it will be, but I will post an announcement on this fic when it is done.

If you enjoy my crossovers, I have a few more in the works. I have two Stargate and Twilight crossovers partly written as well as a BTVS and Twilight fic multi-chaptered fic on the way.

Again, thanks for the reviews.


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